1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a product cartoning system having dynamic carton carriers and/or a variable width between two of the carton carrier sidewalls to accommodate different sized cartons.
2. Description of Related Art
Cartoners are used in varied applications requiring the placement of a product or products, such as food, pharmaceuticals, beverages and other items, into cartons or boxes. Cartoners traditionally require a carton chain to transport empty cartons for filling.
Traditional cartoners often include buckets having fixed sidewalls for transporting cartons. However during certain cartoning steps fixed sidewalls may not hold the carton as sufficiently as may be desired and during cartoning other steps may hold the carton too much. During vibrating or conditioning of product such as, for example, potato chips, it may be advantageous to not restrain the package. During other cartoning steps, such as, for example, closing a lid, it may be desired to maintain positive control of the packaging.
Conventional cartoners with fixed buckets are sized to accommodate a specific carton size and/or shape. These fixed buckets may not be adjusted to accommodate different sizes and shapes of cartons as easily as may be desired. For example, preparing a candy bar for sale in a grocery store may involve 6 to 8 pieces of the candy bar, while packages for a wholesale club can be multiples of that such as 24 to 48 pieces. Conventional buckets require either an expensive separate cartoning line for different sizes or significant downtime to retool between sizes and/or products.